A TEESSIDE driver clocked up a staggering 54 penalty points before eventually being banned from the road.

The 27-year-old Stockton motorist was allowed to remain behind the wheel despite committing a string of offences.

Among his numerous offences was using a mobile phone while driving and the revelation comes as separate figures obtained by the Evening Gazette show a shocking rise in handset use by local drivers.

Before his eventual ban, the driver, who has not been identified, was more than four and a half times above the 12-point level which usually leads to a road ban.

The Teesside driver committed his first offence in 2007 when he was nabbed for driving while using a mobile phone while driving - costing him three penalty points, information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) shows.

Last autumn he twice failed to give police information about the identity of a driver when a suspected offence was committed.

This took his total to 15 - above the usual level for a ban. The reason why the driver did not receive a ban has not been disclosed.

In the next six months he was convicted six times for the same offence and again was convicted for driving while using a mobile.

A conviction for driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence followed in April before he was finally banned on August 2.

It is not clear whether he remained on the road through lenient magistrates or administrative errors.

The failure to ban the motorist has been strongly criticised by road safety campaigners.

Road safety charity Brake said the figures showing the numbers of people failing to receive a ban despite reaching 12 points were “appalling”.

Caroline Perry, from Brake, said: “By breaking the law, these drivers have shown a willful disregard for the safety of other road users.”

Overall figures show 31,110 drivers were disqualified for reaching 12 points in 2009 but a further 11,226 remained on the roads despite reaching the same level.

A total of 176 drivers were allowed to keep driving despite amassing more than 20 points.

The figure showed that the Teesside driver amassed the most points without being banned, with a 42-year-old motorist from Birmingham the second worst offender after receiving 36 points.

The decision on whether to ban a driver is made by an individual court, which may decide not to disqualify a driver if such a move would cause “exceptional hardship”.

This means a driver must show the implications and effect of a ban would go far beyond that which would normally be anticipated.

HM Courts Service, which oversees the courts system, said only a small percentage of drivers were not disqualified from driving when reaching the 12-point limit.

The DVLA provides courts with information about drivers’ convictions but does not query why a motorist has not been banned after reaching the 12-point limit.

A DVLA spokeswoman said: “The courts are able to use their discretion to decide whether or not to disqualify a driver.

“The DVLA's role is to record the information provided by the courts and work closely with the courts service to make sure that there are rigorous processes in place to ensure that only those who are entitled to drive are allowed to hold a licence.”

Separate research by the Gazette has revealed that the numbers of people caught using a mobile phone while driving has jumped by a almost 20% in just a year.